Casa Cuevas is looking at its next generation with the release of Sangre Nueva, which means New Blood in Spanish. Alec Cuevas, a fifth-generation member of the Cuevas tobacco family, was given the reins to lead the development of Sangre Nueva, as Master Blender Luis Cuevas Sr. wanted this to be his grandson’s first creation.
Casa Cuevas Cigars as a company has existed since 2016, however, the family holds a place in the long history of the tobacco industry. Family patriarch, Luis Cuevas Sr., who was born in Cuba, has blended numerous cigars for many brands in the Dominican Republic.
“The slogan “old traditions, new generation” signifies so much more to me than a passing of the family torch. It represents all the experiences I’ve ever been through in this industry, from working behind the counter selling my fellow manufacturer’s products, to spending my summers learning all there is to know about our factory from a very young age.”
—Alec Cuevas
Casa Cuevas Sangre Nueva Robusto Breakdown
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Cameroon
Binder: Honduran Corojo
Filler: Nicaragua | Dominican Republic | Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Factory: Tabacalera Las Lavas S.R.L. (Dominican Republic)
Production: Regular Production
Vitola: 4¾” × 54 (Robusto)
Price: $13.00 (MSRP)
Sangre Nueva is available in 10-count boxes in three sizes. It was developed from scratch by Alec Cuevas after years of studying and expanding his knowledge of tobacco. For Alec, this cigar is a personal love letter to his family. This cigar and the way it represents the next generation is important in the cigar industry—an industry that strives to have great stories, a rich history, and welcoming the next generation into all aspects of cigar culture.
Robusto: 4¾” × 54 | $13.00 | 10-ct boxes ($130)
Toro: 6? x 52 | $13.50 | 10-ct boxes ($135)
Double Perfecto: 6? x 58 | $14.75 | 10-ct boxes ($147.50)
Appearance
The Casa Cuevas Sangre Nueva box has the background color of an old family book, passed down through many generations. It has a pinkish, light brown tea color, like oxidized paper. At the center is the main Cuevas logo with the five stars and the name of the cigar. The label carries the same background color with the black and gold colors of the border and text. The main band has the Cuevas logo, while the secondary band displays the name of the cigar. The background color of old paper paired with the gold and black goes well with the wrapper’s hue, really bringing the eye to the cigar.
The Sangre Nueva wrapper is a dark cardboard color with a smooth appearance. There are no visible seams, with only mild veins noted. The color is not uniform from the cap to the foot of the cigar, showing some color variation with lighter and darker mottling across the leaf.
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Smoking Experience
Before cutting the cigar, the smell coming from it was intense, with the foot being the strongest part. The smell was smoky cedar at the cap, but the foot changed to a black peppered beef jerky smell. After cutting it, the cold draw was strong black pepper and smoked meat or jerky flavor. After toasting the foot, I experienced a strong smoky brisket flavor with hints of cedar. The black pepper jerky flavor hits all over the palate. Meanwhile, the retrohale brings strong cedar and also a smoky-sweet BBQ flavor.
As the cigar continues, the smoky-type flavors remain present, now with pecan, wood, and salty meat and jerky flavors. In the middle of the cigar, the retrohale becomes filled with strong black pepper flavor. Through the mid-point and beyond, the smoky BBQ flavor fades, with salty earth taking its place. Closing on the cigar, the retrohale has continued with strong black pepper.
Sangre Nueva was a very unique experience, with smoky jerky, brisket, and pecan wood flavor. The black pepper punch of the retrohale was a bit intense at times. The ash was dark gray and layered, staying on for approximately two cm at a time. The draw was slightly tight, but did not take away from the smoking experience. The burn line was very good, with no touch-ups needed. The cigar was very flavor forward, bringing the same core smoky BBQ character from start to finish.
Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?
Sangre Nueva offered a unique flavor profile, hitting those smoked BBQ flavors to pique the interest. After I reviewed this cigar, the smell of the smoke on me even made my wife ask if I was smoking meats or just ate BBQ (without me telling her anything about my smoking experience, mind you). I did smoke the toro as well, which, when compared to the robusto, had a lot more of the BBQ flavor. I would most likely not smoke the robusto again, however, as the toro offers a better bang for the buck and a clearer interpretation of the flavor profile.
As of this writing, the Casa Cuevas Sangre Nueva has a “100% Smokable” rating on Dojoverse, and is ranked in the top 29 percent of cigars on the leaderboard.
Flavor: Medium-Full
Strength: Medium-Plus
Body: Medium-Plus
Black pepper jerky
Smoky pecan wood
Smoky-sweet BBQ
Smoke Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Pairing Recommendation: Sweet tea | Schlenkerla Rauchbier (German smoked beer) | Rye
Purchase Recommendation: 5-pack
Interesting smoked BBQ jerky flavorConsistent smoke/flavor from start to finish
While I somewhat enjoyed the robusto, the toro was significantly better and brought more of the BBQ flavorBlack pepper is pretty extreme at times, being noted more in the robustoThe last part of the cigar does fade a bit. Compared with the start and middle being so strong in flavor, it falls a little flat at the end
2023-05-03
The post Casa Cuevas Sangre Nueva Robusto appeared first on Cigar Dojo.
Originally posted on May 3, 2023 @ 6:17 am